Two
recent trends have greatly contributed to the demise of traditional
party politics here in Erie County. The first had its origins
in the Supreme Court’s acceptance, in 1976, of campaign
finance money as the equivalent of “free speech.”
This insured that the financial backers of the party mattered
far more than casual favor seekers or issue-oriented citizens.
Many ordinary people, feeling left out of the political process,
sought refuge in third parties or simply tuned out.

The
second trend is the advent of financial control boards for
both the City and the County, which have the elimination of
political patronage as their stated goal, but may in fact
merely make graft more efficient for “investors,”
as opposed to parasitic, intermediary politicians and their
self-interested constituents.

While
the friends and family plans of folks like Joel Giambra may
soon be history, the new political/business hegemony is on
the rise. In this age of permanent national emergency, this
feels like security to many Western New Yorkers. But do these
boards really have no self-interest? After all, we’re
talking about a handful of really rich people sitting at a
table together, wielding massive budgetary power—and
rich people get that way by taking advantage of their opportunities.

Meanwhile,
the old school political hierarchy of the Democratic Party
appears to be wobbling as its base of worker bees erodes.
Democratic Party Chairman Len Lenihan finds himself with minor
insurrections and wildfires to put out, distracting attention
from this fall’s main event, the mayoral election.

Lenihan
has backed Michele Ianello, wife of political insider Dennis
Ward, in her run for retiring Erie County Legislator Chuck
Swanick’s seat, thus confirming the negative perception
that patronage comes before merit. Cobine this with Ward’s
support for Amherst Town Board Republican Bill O’Loughlin,
and it raises questions of loyalty and competence of party
leadership.

Another
sign of fatigue is the free-for-all taking place in the race
for Erie County Legislator Al Debenedetti’s seat. Lenihan
has done little for endorsed candidate Maria Whyte. As a result,
former Buffalo Common Councilman Robert Quintana’s campaign
threatens to discredit any reform movement in the Democratic
Party. Quintana was made famous for his clashes with gadfly
Richard Kern concerning the Councilman’s friends and
family plan at City Hall. If elected, Quintana will help prove
that the Democrats are also incapable of eschewing political
patronage.

Combine
this with the emergence of the Primary Challenge movement
and we begin to see even deeper fissures in the traditional
party facade. Although many of the Primary Challenge candidates
represent nothing more than the fringe Libertarian “no
taxes” crowd, their anti-incumbent animus has growing
resonance across the political spectrum and should not be
dismissed out of hand, as both Lenihan and his lame duck counterpart
in the GOP, Bob Davis, have done.